


Shelesh: Word Lists & Examples

by MyrddinDerwydd



Series: Angaran Expansion Project [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Agender Character, Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Flora & Fauna, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien Mythology/Religion, Alien Planet, Alien Sex, Alien Technology, Alien/Human Relationships, Aliens, Astronomy, Conlang, F/F, F/M, Gen, Languages and Linguistics, Linguistics, M/M, Multi, Other, Transexual, Worldbuilding, angara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-04 06:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyrddinDerwydd/pseuds/MyrddinDerwydd
Summary: Part 3 of the Shelesh Expansion Project provides organized lists of common types of words and various example translations, including many quotes from theMass Effect: Andromedagame and associated books.Please link back or share if you use this information in your work, and join theAngaran Expansion Projectcommunity on Tumblr to request translations help, or provide feedback!Note: Most information is canon-compliant, with some exceptions regarding their biology that are explained in Part 1 of this project,Angaran Biology and Culture.If you have your own headcanons about angara that are different, or if you prefer the canon exactly as presented in the game, please enjoy peaceably.





	1. Personal Pronouns

# Personal Pronouns

**First person singular**

  * joh - I, me

**First person plural**

  * jogara - we, us

**Second person singular**

  * toh - you, peers or siblings 
  * poh - you, child 
  * moh - you, parent 
  * goh - you, mixed group or general “person.” The most commonly used personal pronoun both in translation and among angara. 
  * mohnin - you, elder; typically respectful
  * moshae- you, venerated elder; Formal and rare, indicating someone of great significance; often used as a proper noun, i.e. the Moshae, or used as a title, e.g. Moshae Sjefa.

**Second person plural**

  * togara - you all, y'all/they all, peers and siblings 
  * pogara - you all/they all, children
  * mogara - you all/they all, parents
  * gara - you all/they all, mixed group or general “people.” The equivalent to “they/them” in translation, and most commonly used personal pronoun among angara. Can be inclusive or exclusive.
  * monira - you all/they all, elders; typically respectful
  * moshaya - you all/they all, venerated elders; *see ‘moshae’

**Posessives**

  * jove - my, mine
  * jave - our, ours
  * tave - your, yours; informal. used with peers, children, family etc.
  * gave - their, theirs; mixed group or generally “belonging to that/those/these person/people”
  * monive - their, theirs; elders; typically respectful
  * binnwgave - everyone’s 
  * kesgave - no one’s 
  * ama - for, of, belonging to


	2. Family

###  **Bin, Torvar di jove shaolaon. Kes aremiy goh kes di bareen! Goh dim bareen binnw.**

Yes, Torvar is my adopted sibling. That doesn’t mean they aren’t family! They will always be family.  
[Yes, Torvar is my adopted sibling. Not meaning they not are family! They will be family always.]

#  **Family**

  * tavbareen - near family; narrowly defined, typically includes the true mother, father, and their biological children
  * bareen - whole family; broadly defined term, inclusive of the near family, other mothers, all of their children, the adults’ parents, siblings and their children… e.g. cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. 
  * barevreta - your family home 
  * vreta - dwelling, house

#  **Parents and Their Children**

  * mysen - true mother; biological mother, typically the one who gave birth to the person
  * mysentev, mysentej - other mother, other mothers; lit. mother also
  * bosen - father, non-egg producing biological parent (similar to the asaari concept)
  * mohsen, mohsenj - parent, parents
  * mohnen, moniren - elder, elders
  * moshae, moshaya - respected elder, elders; Formal and rare, indicating someone of great significance; often used as a proper noun, i.e. the Moshae, or used as a title, e.g. Moshae Sjefa.
  * onjen, onjeng - child, children
  * ongaan -what a parent would call one of their younger children

#  **Siblings**

  * laon - sibling
  * yalaon - elder sibling
  * olaon - younger sibling
  * shaolaon - adopted sibling; used for orphans and children with no immediate family


	3. Common Words For People

##  **Common nouns and adjectives for people**

  * goh, gara - person, people
  * gohal - another person, someone else
  * goss, gossa - strange person, stranger
  * binnwgara - everyone, all people
  * kesgara - no one 
  * unira - all, or all together, a group

##  **Relative to the speaker**

  * dibellen - darling one, a person you are fond of
  * lamik - associate, colleague, casual acquaintance; is more broadly used than tavetaan
  * javegara - the people closest to me/us; siblings, friends, etc.; lit. “our people”
  * jetevre - romantic partner; lit. me with one/one with me
  * tavetaan - referring to a person: a friend or trusted comrade; referring to a place: a place where you feel like home; lit. close home trusted 
  * vaasanari - a shared soul, possibly meaning twins; lit. shared partner soul
  * vaasholan - partner; used in many contexts

##  **Based on origin or species**

  * angara - civilized people, or those who have put down roots; Angara is also the name of the race of sentient people native to Andromeda/Jave Jarevaon; lit. anchor people
  * Jardaan - Origin unknown. Advanced sentient race that created the angara, and likely created other species in the same galaxy
  * milygara - alien people; typically exclusive of the Kett, originated after interactions with the Milky Way species; amalgation of milky-way-people
  * tehet - kett, the invaders and enslavers of the angara in Jave Jarevaon
  * vesagara - uprooted people, or exiles, a derogatory term used by the Roekaar for individuals from the Milky Way

##  **Based on activity, job, or role**

  * drokaalen - connecter; the angara term for the 'Remnant' technology and people; originated pre-discovery of the Jaardaan
  * evfra - a person who causes change, alteration
  * frakiin \- a killer, person who kills
  * Gosavar - The Resistance; lit. “to grasp against” “to resist”
  * Heskaarl - special forces, an elite angaran military group, comparable to human N7s. Also refers to a singular member of that group; lit. “the strong strike”
  * hidduun - savior, rescuer
  * nasen - protector, guardian
  * suupara or suupen - superman; ‘most person,’ the literal translation of ‘superman’
  * uniohmmen - diplomat, negotiator; lit. together speak
  * voneraan - astronomer; lit. one who searches stars
  * vesoan - explorer, wanderer
  * wavooan - fish, swimmer; generally used for any swimming organism
  * yabe, yabej - the leader, person in charge


	4. Terms of Endearment

##  **Terms of Endearment**

  * dibellen - darling one, a person you are fond of
  * jofaarl - a common angaran term of endearment; lit. my strength
  * taoshay - loved one; lit. love of my heart 
  * jetevre - romantic partner; lit. me with one/one with me


	5. Sex, Sexuality, Gender, and Romance

Generally, different word roots are used depending on the context: tao (love) for generally referring to who they want to be with, ijonn (biological sex, genitalia, arousal) for terms tied to physical sexuality, gati (sexual behaviors, intercourse) for interest in sex, tabit for reproduction, and vaasohmje for romantic interest.

These terms originate from within angaran culture, so they reflect their agender, hermaphroditic nature. Some of these terms have a slightly different meaning than equivalent terms in Milky Way cultures. For more information, see chapters 3 & 4 of [_Angaran Biology and Culture._](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20290207)

##  **Biological Sex**

  * aasabitara, aasabitaran - hermaphroditic, hermaphrodite 
  * evfrijonn - transitioning sexes; lit. changing curve/genitalia
  * lavijonn - dualsex; rare condition where a single individual exhibits both functional male and female reproductive organs
  * kavijonn - neutral sexed, adult having neither male nor female reproductive organs functioning; also exhibits very little curve to the ijonn
  * layjonn - transexual, having changed sex at some point in one's life
  * ooya - female; Always used as an adjective, not a noun. No Shelesh word for ‘woman’
  * reijonn - non-transexual
  * ryaa - male; Always used as an adjective, not a noun. No Shelesh word for ‘man’
  * sanjonn, byjonn - sexually mature/immature

##  **Sexuality and Interest in Family **

  * binnwjonn - bisexual & pansexual; most common sexuality among angara; lit. all curves
  * gatfi - demisexual, a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone; lit. sex on the condition that/sex if
  * kegati - asexual
  * vaajonn - homosexual, engaging in sex with someone having the same curve as oneself; lit. same curve
  * viijonn - heterosexual, engaging in sex with someone having the opposite curve as oneself; lit. opposite curve
  * kemohsen - non-parental
  * bosen - father, non-egg producing parent
  * mohsen, mosenj - parent, parents
  * mysentev - other mother
  * mysen - true mother; biological mother, typically the one who gave birth to the person

##  **Romance and Partners**

  * jetevre - romantic partner
  * kevaasohmje - aromantic
  * vaasohmje - romantic, intended to woo, impress, or be enjoyed by a close partner lit. sharing music
  * vaasholan - partner; used in many contexts, often platonic

##  **Sexual Activity**

  * blaengati - foreplay, actions initiating sexual arousal
  * ddolata - sexual stimulation using the hands, including self-stimulation (masturbation)
  * gati - sex, mating, intercourse; describes the general sexual behavior surrounding reproduction and/or pleasure. Not used to refer to biological sex.
  * ijonnir - to curve, to bend; also, to become aroused
  * ijonnata - sexual stimulation via contact between genitalia
  * shennata - sexual stimulation via oral contact with the genitalia
  * sherata - paid sexual stimulation, which is often oral. *The negative connotation of this term varies in strength, but the negativity stems from the general lack of cultural stigma regarding consensual sexual contact between platonic friends. The implication is that an individual paying for sex has no friends. 
  * tsiddata - sexual stimulation using bioelectrics (tsiddvfira). Not always exclusive, and it is typically part of any type of sexual intercourse

##  **Sexuality and Gender **

These terms originate from outside angaran culture. They were developed after the ‘Great Immigration’ of several alien people into Jave Jarevaon from the Milky Way galaxy, and reflect concepts from those societies that do not have a clear equivalent in angaran culture. Of particular note is that the angara use phrases such as ‘ooya goh’ meaning ‘female person’ in the place of gendered nouns and pronouns, as the two concepts are difficult to distinguish based on conversation and translation alone. This generally is not an issue, but did carry over into their translations of lesbian and gay.

  * taomiylgara - xenophilic, a love of aliens from the Milky Way
  * kweer - queer, referring to individuals who do not conform to the gender or sexuality norms of their society
  * taooyan - lesbian, a homosexual female or feminine person
  * taryaan - gay, a homosexual male or masculine person
  * gender - borrowed, becomes jendurr in Shelesh
  * kejendurr - agender or nonbinary gender
  * femijen - feminine gender, femininity
  * malijen - masculine gender, masculinity
  * layjendurr - transgender
  * reijendurr - cisgender
  * lojendurr - genderfluid

**Author's Note:**

> For more frequent snippets and regular "Angaran Word of the Day" posts, come follow [Angaran Expansion Project](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/angaranexpansionproject) on Tumblr.  



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